Four England internationals of the last decade who have totally fallen off the radar
Rugby NewsFriday, 21 September 2018 at 17:23
They were once considered the future of England, but these four players have slid a long, long way from Eddie Jones' reckoning.
The fortunes of most rugby players, even those considered among the best in their country, tend to wax and wane. Very few are able to perform at a consistently high level for years on end as leading figures on the domestic and international scene. All sorts of factors can intervene to mean they fade from view.
These four England internationals from the last decade really did fade away after bright starts to their international career.
1. SHANE GERAGHTY (LAST CAP: England v New Zealand at Twickenham, 2010)
Fly-half Geraghty made his England debut as a replacement against France in the 2007 Six Nations - carving through the French defence to create a crucial try for teammate Mike Tindall and kicking a penalty and a conversion in the 26-18 Twickenham triumph.
A long-running hamstring injury would plague his career over the following months would see him ruled out of that year's Rugby World Cup in France with the fly-half only going on to win a further five caps.
Following unsuccessful spells with Brive, London Irish and Bristol, he ended his career in the Top 14 with Stade Francais, retiring in 2018.
2. MATTHEW TAIT (LAST CAP: Australia v England at Perth, 2010)
Despite becoming an England international aged 19 and being a World Cup finalist in 2007, Tait's test career came to a conclusion in 2010, chiefly due to a succession of injury problems.
Still only 24 at the time, another injury ruled him out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Since then, he became a mainstay of the Leicester Tigers backline up until 2018, but never really come close to earning an England recall.
The last of his 38 caps came against Australia in 2010.
3. BEN MORGAN (England v Australia at Twickenham, 2015)
Morgan made his debut for England on 4 February 2012, coming on as a second-half replacement against Scotland in the 2012 Six Nations Championship. He played in all five of the six nations games, receiving the man of the match award in the final match against Ireland.
Becoming a regular, the powerhouse number eight would go on to win 31 caps in the next three years. However, he has proved to be one of the post-2015 Rugby World Cup victims, having not received a recall since the ill-fated campaign.
A mix of injuries and the emergence of Nathan Hughes and Sam Simmonds has made his chances of a return to international duty slim. He's never even mentioned.
4. ROB WEBBER (England v Australia at Twickenham, 2015)
Another victim of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the 32-year-old has found himself at the back of a long queue of England hookers, meaning despite some fine performances for Sale he's unlikely to be getting a call off Eddie Jones.
The hooker won the last of his 16 caps against Australia in 2015 as England were eliminated from the global showpiece. Had recently retired but rejoined Sale Sharks due to their injury woes.
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